Champions League team of the round: Quarter-finals

The boys
The boys / Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images, Marc Atkins/Getty Images, Markus Gilliar - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images
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The most wonderful time of the year isn't Christmas, it's when UEFA Champions League knockout games kick off when it's still light outside.

The quarter-finals are in the books and the fixtures for the last four are now set in stone.

But before we dive into the next round, let's give the top performers from the last couple of weeks their flowers.


Champions League team of the round: Quarter-finals

GK: Mike Maignan - The best goalkeeper in the world? The Frenchman has certainly muscled his way into the debate. Maignan denied Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from the penalty spot in the second leg of Milan's 1-1 draw at the Stadio Diego Maradona on Thursday.

RB: Davide Calabria - Also pivotal in keeping Kvaratskhelia quiet was Calabria, who was happy to go toe-to-toe with the fleet-footed Georgian winger.

CB: Ruben Dias - Earlier this season, Dias was scarcely used in Manchester City's backline. But his side-before-self performances across two legs against Bayern Munich have propelled him back into Pep Guardiola's thinking.

CB: Fikayo Tomori - Another knockout tie in which Milan leant on Tomori to help preserve their magnificent defensive record. Wonder if he'll make the next England squad. Probably not, somehow.

LB: Eduardo Camavinga - Fair play to Camavinga, he looked like a disaster at left-back during his brief spell there with France at the FIFA World Cup but now is operating at a world-class level with Real Madrid.


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DM: Rodri - Still in awe at that magnificent weak-footed strike from about 700 yards out against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. What a silly little goal.

CM: Bernardo Silva - We're cheating a bit because Silva played largely in a wide right role for Manchester City over the last fortnight, but this is hardly a Garth Crooks-ian offence.

CM: Nicolo Barella - With goals in either leg in their triumph against Benfica, Barella was the driving force behind Inter's first foray into the Champions League semi-finals since 2010.

RW: Rodrygo - Real Madrid are the Champions League club, and Rodrygo is very quickly becoming the Champions League player. The Brazilian bagged a brace at Chelsea on Tuesday to kill off any hope of a Blues comeback.

ST: Erling Haaland - Goalscoring freak continues to score goals.

LW: Rafael Leao - Phwoar, what a performance. Leao put Napoli to the sword this week, with his powerful and near-unstoppable run setting up Olivier Giroud's opener to put the tie beyond the hosts' reach.


LISTEN NOW

On this edition of 90min's Definitive European Power Rankings, part of the 90min podcast network, Sean Walsh and Jack Gallagher discuss the top 10 teams from across the continent after a busy week of Champions League quarter-finals.

If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!